Drupal vs. WordPress

17 Mar Drupal vs. WordPress

Drupal and WordPress are two of the most popular open-source content management systems (CMS) in the market. Being open-source means that these software are accessible by all. Nonprofits who choose either one of these CMS options will be able to create, edit and redistribute content without legal implications. This makes it easy for you to expand site content and manage your sites without requiring specific skills in editing raw content.

Advantages of WordPress

Free-of-charge – This means that nonprofits can focus on content development without concerns over recurring or hidden fees for using WordPress. Of course, this doesn’t include domain and web-hosting charges or add-on pricing for advanced plug-ins and themes.

Ease of use and customer support – The interface is easy to understand and simple to use. Most nonprofits will find that adding and editing content is easy to grasp. And if/when you do run into an issue, WordPress makes it easy to get the help you need, thanks to its massive community.

Built-in themes and plug-ins – WordPress offers 5,000+ free templates that can help your nonprofit achieve its ideal appearance on the web. It also offers over 53,000 useful (and free!) plugins that can extend your website’s features, bringing more utility and variety to your web pages.

Main Con of WordPress

Low Security – The biggest problem with WordPress is its weaker security system. WordPress’ vulnerability is a result of its theme-based and plug-in framework, which can be easily manipulated by third-parties and individuals. Because of this, malicious users can easily sneak in corrupt code, a bug, or virus into add-ons that are hard to detect. It is important for nonprofits to be extra careful while they’re browsing for a plug-in or theme, as well as perform frequent security checks on their website to eliminate risks.

Advantages of Drupal

Free-to-use – Similar to WordPress, the open-source platform is entirely free-to-use.

Flexibility – Drupal provides a wide selection of tools to create and manage different types of content, including blogs, videos, social network sites, podcasts, and more. This enables nonprofits to customize quality content for their audience according to their unique needs. Additionally, Drupal works with extremely customizable design elements. This means that nonprofits can conveniently switch between simplified websites to more complex projects.

Scalability – Nonprofits don’t have to pay extra fees for additional website pages. This makes this choice highly scalable, especially for nonprofits who require huge quantities of site content on a regular basis, such as news sites. High scalability also ensures that nonprofits don’t have to worry about surcharges during peak periods that lead to increased site content.

Main Con of Drupal

Advanced CMS Interface – Although Drupal’s basic platform functions are manageable, its advanced features aren’t suitable for nonprofits that lack developer knowledge. After all, the application was manufactured by web developers for web developers. Nonprofits without the right skill sets might find the CMS counter-intuitive and difficult to master. The arduous learning process may take months from scratch, which is impractical for organizations seeking immediate results.

Verdict

Both CMS options are excellent for non-profit organizations wishing to create highly customized content. However, Drupal is noticeably better in terms of providing superior security. This means that organizations dealing with sensitive information may find Drupal a better fit. It also offers advanced CMS features that provide great customization and control over design elements compared to WordPress.

Nonprofits may process a great amount of confidential data, such as donor information, donated monies, tax-relief, etc. However, Drupal is known for its steep learning curve. Although the program’s features are systematically sorted, the program itself may be intractable for users who lack developer knowledge. In the case where a team lacks technical expertise, WordPress is definitely the preferred choice in getting a project up and running without delay.

Interested in discussing your ideas for a future project on WordPress or Drupal? We’d love to chat — drop us a line!